Download Medieval Religion and Superstition

By Andy Irwin and Matthew Watts
Period 1
9/28/09
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The population of the Medieval Era, or Middle
Ages, lived and breathed religion in almost
everything they did.
Even the simplest daily and weekly rituals
and habits had religious parts to them, and
they interpreted their experiences through a
religious aspect of perceiving things.
Their lives also revolved around major
religious festivals that took place during the
time.
Most inhabitants of Europe during the Medieval
Era were Christians, being either Catholics
(Western Europe) or Orthodox (Eastern Europe).
 Many Jews also lived throughout Europe, as well
as a good number of Muslims.
 Additionally, in the beginning of this period of
time, many living in the country still believed in
the Greek and Roman deities.
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Western Europeans claimed during the Middle
Ages that there was only one church, and that it
was the Catholic Church.
The Medieval Catholic Church was led by the
Pope and was responsible for providing salvation
for people.
The Catholic Church was intolerant of other
beliefs; they would execute people who
disagreed with them because they viewed them
as a threat.
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The Church had several privileges that made
it powerful, including:
1. Tithes--The Church took 10% of everything
produced by the commoners as a tax each year.
2. Laws, Courts—The Church had its own laws and
courts, separate from the King’s laws and Royal
courts.
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A man known as Pseudo-Dionysius provided
the Middle Ages with their idea of human
order, or hierarchy.
He based his idea on the fundamental idea of
holiness, especially the superior holiness of
the divine.
In this idea, all religious representatives in the
Middle Ages were seen as having a definite
place in a strict hierarchy, and religious rights
were given to each section of the hierarchy.
Society during the Middle Ages worried
about what would happen to them in the
afterlife greatly.
 The most important thing to them was
whether they achieved salvation after
death.
 This desire made them not concerned
with improving anything on Earth or in
their lives.
 To gain salvation, Church members had to
participate in sacraments, or good works.
If someone’s works pleased God, then
they would be rewarded with forgiveness
and salvation.
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All religious people in the Medieval Era
believed God intervened on Earth constantly.
His intervention, in their point of view,
included making events happen and shaping
the future according to His divine plan.
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Superstition was viewed as much more
important than science in the Middle Ages.
To medieval scholars, superstition is
associated with the beliefs outside or against
Christianity.
Superstition and ignorance ran rampant
during the Middle Ages, along with stories of
creatures and folklore we still refer to today.
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Several superstitious practices used to
prevent sickness during the Middle Ages
include:
1. Washing babies in dirty dishwater to keep them
from growing up sickly
2. Stringing a rabbit’s foot around a baby’s neck to
prevent disease
3. Turning their own shoes upside down under
their beds before the people went to sleep
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The Catholic Church defined superstitious
practices as practices that didn’t rely on
nature or on divine power.
The Church campaigned against these
superstitious religious practices, and wanted
the people to rely on faith and religion rather
than superstition.
The superstitious practices being
campaigned against included the wearing of
charms and talismans.
The Crusades were a series of military
expeditions waged by the European Christians in
the Middle Ages, designed to remove the
Muslims from the “Holy Land”.
 They are often seen as a shameful war, fueled by
intolerance and greed.
 Although the Crusades failed their ultimate goal,
they led to many positive changes in Europe.
 Europe’s rise to world power and influence was
the result of the increased contact with the
Muslim world that the Crusades caused.
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The festivals of Christmas, Easter,
Transfiguration, Assumption, and Exaltation
of the Cross were big public worship holidays.
Candlemass was a Pagan holiday on which
people danced and jumped around bonfires
built on the yards of churches.